The news that Jurgen Klopp was going to leave Liverpool at the end of the season sent shockwaves through football.
His decision has to be respected of course, given that such high intensity management would tire out even the fittest individual.
In his interview announcing his departure, the German was questioned on whether everyone knowing his intentions now would derail Liverpool’s march towards the title, though Klopp appeared keen to point out that it shouldn’t change a thing as he will still be working in the same way.
Former super agent and co-creator of the Premier League, Jon Smith, believes that Klopp has timed his exit announcement perfectly.
“I was a fan of Margaret Thatcher and I think she hung on too long. I was and I am a fan of Arsene Wenger and he hung on too long,” he said in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside.
“I think Jurgen Klopp’s timing is immaculate.
“He’s rebuilt for a second or third time, a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson did, but his team was running out of steam and he obviously felt that he didn’t want to have to go through a whole other three-year rebuild.
“Jurgen may yet walk away with 2,3 or 4 trophies – what a way to go. I salute him for quitting at the top and I sincerely hope there’s no other reason.
“I’m hearing rumours that he may not be well, and I just hope it’s untrue. I hope he’s leaving because he thinks it’s time and that he wants to spend some more time with the family.”
His mixture of humanity, an evident zest for life and his brilliant managerial skills has seen him taken to the hearts of football fans everywhere. It’s impossible to dislike the man.
So much so that Smith, a lifelong Arsenal fan, wouldn’t be unhappy if Liverpool won the Premier League title this year.
“If he wants to come back he’d be more than welcome anywhere and everywhere, so I think it’s a perfect exit,” he continued.
“Even a hardened Arsenal fan like me would be smiling if he won the league again. That’s how much he means to football in this country.
“Whoever comes in to replace him is on a hiding to nothing unless Liverpool don’t win anything this season.
“If Klopp wins nothing, he’ll still be lauded and people will say ‘it just didn’t quite happen this year.’
“If he wins two or more competitions, then I wouldn’t want to be that person coming in. To follow that would be very, very difficult.”
Certainly, the English top-flight will be a poorer and quieter place without Jurgen Klopp in it, and one can only begin to imagine the send off that Anfield will give him on the final day of the current season.